Songs of Dusk and Renewal sets two poems from Alfred Edward Housman’s A Shropshire Lad (1896) for baritone voice and orchestra, with the intent to demonstrate the timeless significance of the text. Housman’s collection, largely explored by English composers in the first half of the twentieth century, remains a valid source for composers, yet the writings are seldom observed in recent music. In the present work, poems IV (“Reveille”) and XLVI (“Bring, in this timeless grave to throw”) are reconciled musically through deep constructs and surface attraction, while being informed by critical and historical perspectives. / text

This project provides International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) transcriptions, translations and a vocal pedagogical analysis of “Six Songs of Poetry by Gellert” by Ludwig van Beethoven. There is discussion of technical concepts applicable to singing, vocal relationships between text and poetry; and background information concerning Ludwig van Beethoven, Christian Gellert, and Christian Neefe. This document addresses possible vocal challenges a baritone might encounter when studying the Gellert Lieder. This guide provides suggestions for vowel modification in the passaggio, as well as a section dedicated to appoggio, aggiustamento, and vocal registration. Finally, this research provides a concise preparation for performance manual for singers and teachers of singing to use in the vocal studio.

For applied teachers of the bel canto method of singing, classical musical theatre repertoire provides an abundant resource of material for teaching the undergraduate baritone voice. Select classic musical theatre repertoire, fitting within the parameters of suitable range, tessitura, duration, and thematic material for an undergraduate baritone, will be used to demonstrate the application of bel canto techniques such as: glottal onsets, the connection between the speaking voice and singing voice, suitable vowels in building the upper range, and teaching sostenuto and legato. This dissertation serves as a guide for teaching sound vocalism through classic musical theatre repertoire.

Master of Music / School of Music, Theatre, and Dance / Reginald L. Pittman / This Master’s Report is an examination of four vocal song cycles for the baritone voice. Song cycles researched, interpreted, and performed include An die ferne Geliebte (1816) by Ludwig van Beethoven, Sei Romanze (1838) by Giuseppe Verdi, Don Quichotte à Dulcinée (1932-1933) by Maurice Ravel, and Let Us Garlands Bring (1938-1942) by Gerald Finzi. In this report you will find information on the history of vocal song cycles, biographical information about composers and poets/lyricists, compositional analysis, historical breakdowns of the musical periods, musical and poetic interpretations, original texts and English translations, pedagogical and performance practice insights, and never before published transpositions of “Non t’accostare all’urna,” “More, Elisa, lo stanco poeta,” and “Nell’orror di note oscura” from Giuseppe Verdi’s Sei Romanze (1838). Songs in this report are: “Auf dem Hügel sitz ich spähend,” “Wo die Berge so blau,” “Leichte Segler in den Höhen,” “Diese Wolken in den Höhen,” “Es kehret der Maien, es blühet die Au,” and “Nimm sie hin den diese Lieder” from An die ferne Geliebte by Ludwig an Beethoven. “Non t’accostare all’urna,” “More, Elisa, lo stanco poeta,” “In solitaria stanza,” and “Nell’orror di note oscura” from Sei Romanze by Giuseppe Verdi. “Chanson romanesque,” “Chanson épique,” and “Chanson à boire” from Don Quichotte à Dulcinée by Maurice Ravel. “Come away, come away, death,” “Who is Silvia?,” “Fear no more the heat o’ the sun,” “O Mistress Mine,” and “It was a lover and his lass” from Let Us Garlands Bring by Gerald Finzi. The graduate recital was presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Music degree in vocal performance on April 9th, 2017 in All Faiths Chapel on the campus of Kansas State University. The recital featured the talents of baritone Matthew D. Cyphert and pianist Mitchell S. Jerko.

In the Baroque period, the baritone voice was not yet well-defined, but many composers wrote vocal pieces with a range appropriate for the modern baritone voice. Composers used the general categories of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass for solo voice in their compositions. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was no different from other Baroque composers in writing solo works to be performed by one of the four main voice types. The various ranges and tessituras of J. S. Bach's vocal works for bass solo voice are not limited to being sung by low basses, but may also be sung by more medium ranged baritones. The purpose of this research is to guide collegiate voice teachers and their baritone students in selecting appropriate repertoire from the works of Bach on the basis of each students' level of development and to categorize four groups of bass solos by Bach for collegiate baritone students: beginning level for freshmen, intermediate level for sophomores, advanced level for juniors and seniors, and pre-professional level for seniors and graduate students. This research was prepared in conjunction with a DMA lecture-recital of eight bass solos for collegiate baritone voice, selected from the study; two vocal works for each proficiency level.

The majority of repertoire catalogs for singers, printed and digital, often list works by voice type, language, and/or genre. The 21st century has seen an emergence of online classical music catalogs where the user can seek repertoire by searching composers from underrepresented communities (i.e., women, Black, LGBTQ, Latinx). What does not currently exist is a resource that catalogs songs for solo voice dealing specifically with gay subject matter. This dissertation surveys seventeen 21st century gay-themed art songs by four living American composers: David Del Tredici, Ben Moore, Clint Borzoni, and Gary Schocker. Each chapter introduces a different composer and a select representation of their gay-themed art songs. Each entry includes text analysis based on the composer's and author's intentions and a brief analysis to determine pedagogical and musical difficulty. It is my intent that this document will facilitate a much-needed resource and encourage further study, promotion, and performance of voice works with gay themes. Moreover, I hope that it will serve as a tool for the applied voice teacher to assist in the vocal and artistic development of their students through broader repertoire choices.